Derry Sinn Fein Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Anderson in Arntz delegation to Germany

Published: 9 March, 2010

Foyle Sinn Féin MLA Martina Anderson will travel to Germany on Wednesday as part of a delegation on behalf of the workforce at Derry's Arntz factory.

"I think there is a realisation that there is little that can be done at this stage to save the jobs but the delegation will be meeting with Arntz parent company Optibelt in order to secure the very best possible deal for the workers," Ms. Anderson said.

"I have already raised the need for an enhanced redundancy package with Optibelt and I am now looking forward to putting our demands to them face-to-face."

Ms. Anderson also insisted that the Arntz site should be retained for creating job opportunities in the future.

"The site must be retained for employment generating purposes as I am aware that planning permission for residential and commercial use of the site has already been applied for and refused.

"Clearly, given Arntz's close proximity to Fort George and the Kelvin Telehouse location this site could become crucial for potential telecommunication clients who wish to locate close to the Telehouse."